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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 27, 2005 Schools miss goal in English learning: Kids bring two dozen other languages to the mix in Medford By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Nearly 1,100 students speaking two dozen native languages presented a formidable challenge to the Medford School District last year: Bring their English skills up to national standards. Southern Oregon’s largest district, like those across the region and, indeed, the state, missed the mark, according to a report released Wednesday by the state Department of Education. No local district fully met targets for teaching English to non-English speaking students. In fact, only eight school districts across Oregon — just 13 percent — met all three standards required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In Medford, about 57 percent of non-English speaking students boosted their language skills by one level, well shy of the required 80 percent. Advertisement The district’s ELL students — English language learners — also failed to make adequate yearly progress on required state math and language arts tests. On the positive side, nearly 15 percent of Medford ELL students became proficient in English by the end of the school year, higher than the required 10 percent. "It’s a tall task, is what it is," said Todd Bloomquist, Medford’s curriculum director. "The key thing I notice is that we have lots of great things going on but it’s not as coordinated as we would like." In Medford, 1,075 students — more than 8 percent of district enrollees — were classified as ELL last year, according to the new report. Bloomquist said that figure is probably higher this year. Those numbers include students from elementary school to high school who arrive with widely varying backgrounds — and English skills. "They come to us at any time of year from any number of nations," said Bloomquist, who noted that students speak two dozen languages, including Chinese and Czech as well as Spanish. This year, the district is studying a new approach that offers a framework for individualized ELL instruction, he said. Locally, only the Rogue River School District achieved the first of three objectives measured in the report — to ensure that at least 80 percent of non-English speaking students improved their English skills by one proficiency level. The district enrolls 12 ELL students and 10 boosted their skills. In Central Point, less than half of about 110 students achieved that standard. In Ashland, with 65 ELL students, and in Phoenix-Talent, with about 530 students, the figure was about 70 percent. In Eagle Point, more than 62 percent of some 470 ELL students improved by one level, the report showed. More districts exceeded the requirement that at least 10 percent of students become proficient in English by the end of the school year. In Phoenix-Talent, 14 percent of students became proficient by year’s end, while in Central Point, more than 13 percent achieved that goal. Eagle Point and Ashland just missed the mark with about 9 percent proficiency. However, Ashland was the only local district whose ELL students showed adequate progress on state math and language arts tests. Of Oregon’s 198 school districts, 117 reported enrolling ELL students by spring of last year, state officials said. Wednesday’s Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives report, the first of its kind, measured changes from 2003-2004 to 2004-2005. Oregon districts receive about $2,600 extra per ELL student per year to help boost speaking, listening, reading and writing English skills, officials said. Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo said all students must be proficient in English to be successful. "Today’s report confirms what we believed to be true," she said in a statement Wednesday. "We have more work to do in teaching English to our ELL students. We know that students in Oregon schools want to learn English. They know that without strong language skills, they will not reach the levels of achievement of other students." Oregon’s English language learners 1. Did 80 percent or more students move up by one level of English proficiency? Yes: 16 districts — 13 percent No: 101 districts — 87 percent 2. Did 10 percent or more students reach English proficiency and exit the program? Yes: 64 districts — 55 percent No: 53 districts — 45 percent 3. Did ELL students make adequate yearly progress on state math and language arts tests? Yes: 39 districts — 33 percent No: 78 districts — 67 percent — Source: Oregon Department of Education Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail Schools miss goal in English learning: Kids bring two dozen other languages to the mix in Medford ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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